Stories that Disturb Us
Myth Matters
“Perhaps the greatest stories are those which disturb us, which shake us from our complacency, which threaten our well-being. It is better to enter into the danger of such a story than to keep safely away in a space where the imagination lies dormant.” -- N. Scott Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain
What are these stories that disturb us, and why would you venture into the danger zone of such a story?
When you think about "a disturbing story," you may think about stories of brutality and destruction. Terrible truths.
And yet, stories that shake us from our complacency, as Momaday says, aren't necessarily stories about horrible things. They are stories that take us out of the world that we know, the comfortable world that we've constructed out of the materials provided to us. Stories that challenge our expectations and assumptions, even contradict what we believe is true.
A story that disturbs may open our hearts to needs and forms of suffering that we didn't know existed, or didn't want to admit exist. It can also open us to possibility, reveal illusions, and call us to live with more creativity, compassion, and freedom.
In this episode, I tell a Celtic fairy tale called "The Lass Who Went Out at the Cry of Dawn." It has the power to shake my complacency, and may do the same for you.
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